Let’s get this out there, this contest is already down to Hakuho and Kisenosato. Will Kisenosato flinch in the first week? Or will we have drama deep into week two? Unfortunately, several wrestlers appear to not be 100%. Terunofuji is one, despite his unbeaten record. On the other side, we can see that Kotoshogiku’s not here through his winless record.

My bout of the day was Chiyonokuni’s parry of Daieisho. Both rikishi set out with forceful slaps to the face. Daieisho appeared to have the edge as his barrage made Chiyonokuni retreat toward the straw bales. Once at the edge, however, Chiyonokuni cheekily dodged to his right, putting Daieisho off balance. From there it was a simple matter of finishing Daieisho off with a shove.